By Winnie Lee, Director of Office Hakka Association of New York
The traditional image of Hakka culture—its thriftiness, diligence, resilience, kindness, and strong character—has been deeply ingrained in my upbringing and is evident in my daily life. From my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother, to my husband’s family, which is also Hakka, these qualities seem to be a consistent thread passed down through generations, flowing through the veins of the Hakka heritage. I even see this spirit in my two daughters. It is through my mother’s example that she plays an important role in passing down this cultural heritage within the family. She instills Hakka culture into the next generation’s daily life through language, food, values, and living habits.
The inheritance of language is also a crucial cornerstone of Hakka culture. At home, we communicate in Hakka, which ensures the continuation of our mother tongue without us even realizing it. Even when others around us speak different languages, we maintain a Hakka-speaking environment at home, allowing our children to learn the language through immersion.
Food culture is another essential part of this inheritance. Hakka mothers are skilled at cooking traditional Hakka dishes such as salty rice dumplings, ban-tiao (Hakka rice noodles), and other Hakka rice-based meals. These foods not only carry the memories of our family but also symbolize the Hakka spirit of thriftiness and homemaking.
In conclusion, Hakka mothers play a vital role in the continuation of Hakka culture through the transmission of language, food, and values, establishing a strong foundation for ethnic identity within the family.
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